Vertical annealing lehr



June 5, 1956 F. G. PASOTTI VERTICAL ANNEALING LEHR Filed April 20, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l g E g {ll-f 1 IN V EN TOR.

F.' George Pasofri JuneY 5, 1956 F' G PASOTTI 2,748,537

VERTICAL ANNEALING LEHR Filed April 20, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

24 :I JNVENTOR.

\- F. George-I Pasolfi June 5, 1956 F. G. PASoTTl 2,748,537

VERTICAL ANNEALING LEHR Filed April 20, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. a

INVENTOR. E George Pasoff V 2|) 8% H/S ATTORNEYS June 5, 1956 F G PASOTTI 2,748,537

VERTICAL ANNEALING LEHR Filed April 20, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. F. George Pasa/tl June 5, F. G PASO-r11 VERTICAL ANNEALING LEI-IR Filed April 20, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. E George Pasoffi H/s A Tron/v5 Ys United States Patent "C VERTICAL ANNEALING LEHR Felice George Pasotti, Muncie, Ind., assignor to Ball Brothers Company, Incorporated, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application April 20, 1953, Serial No. 349,887

4 Claims. (Cl. 49-47) This invention relates to annealing lehrs and similar structures and has for an object to produce effective apparatus of the type described which conserves floor space.

A further object is to produce a lehr which is provided with new and improved means for establishing and maintaining requisite temperature conditions at different points along the path of travel of articles moving through the lehr.

A further object is to produce a lehr provided with separate passages for articles traversing the lehr which are individually controlled from the standpoint of producing and maintaining requisite temperature conditions, but in which fluid traversing one such passage may be effectively employed in maintaining a requisite or desired temperature condition in another passage or at one or more points along such a passage.

A further object is to provide a lehr so constructed and arranged that during movement through the lehr each article occupies positions such that the transfer of heat to and/ or from it is substantially unaffected by the positioning of other articles traversing the lehr.

A further object is to produce a lehr in which induced air flow is employed for maintaining desired or requisite temperature conditions throughout the path of travel of articles moving through the lehr and in which air withdrawn from one portion of the lehr is introduced into another portion thereof for the purpose of modifying or maintaining temperature conditions within such air-receiving portion.

A further object is to produce a vertical lehr in which articles traverse the lehr in a step by step movement and in which means are employed for delivering articles to and removing articles from the lehr during each interval between the step-like movements.

These and other objects which will be made more apparent throughout the further description of my invention are attained by means of apparatus herein illustrated and described and by means of procedure employed in connection with such apparatus.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a lehr embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the lehr embodying my invention taken along the line II-II of Figure l. Figure 3 is a fragmental view of a modied arrangement of the heat delivering means employed in connection with the article-receiving passage of the lehr.

Figure 4 is a fragmental section view along the line IV-IV of Figure 7 and illustrates means such as may be employed for moving articles through the lehr and for delivering articles to and removing articles from the lehr. Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of two Geneva gears associated with and operated by a common rotor the view having been taken along the line V-V of Figure 7. Figure 6 is a view corresponding in part to Figure 5 but illustrating the Geneva mechanism in such positions that one Geneva gear is in the position of maximum movement whereas the other gear is held stationary by the rotor.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic sectional view along the line VII-VII and illustrates a portion of the articlemoving conveyors and loading and unloading means for delivering articles from one such conveyor into the lehr and for moving articles out of the lehr and onto another such conveyor. Figure 8 is a fragmental view of a tray such as may be employed in conveying articles through the lehr. Figure 9 is a fragmental side elevation of the tray and its operating mechanism shown in Figure 8.

Figures 10 and 11 are respectively plan views of loading and unloading mechanism which may be employed for delivering articles onto one article-conveying tray and for removing articles from another article-conveying tray and illustrates the synchronous operation of such means. Figure l2 is a view of the Geneva gears showing the positions of those gears during the maximum movement of the loading and unloading apparatus included as elements of my invention.

While the apparatus illustrated involves a lehr in which the articles to be annealed are introduced into the lehr at a point adjacent the bottom thereof then move upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr and then downwardly to a point adjacent the bottom of the lehr from which they are removed from the lehr, one of the fundamental features of the invention is to provide a lehr, whether vertical or horizontal, which has successively arranged passages through which the articles move in traversing the lehr.

Another important feature of my invention is the production of a lehr having passages so arranged with relation to each other that fluid heated while traversing one such passage, may be delivered to another passage or to a selected portion thereof for the purpose of maintaining a desired temperature condition in the passage or the portion thereof to which it is delivered.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a verticali lehr to which articles are delivered at a point adjacent the bottom thereof and from which articles are removed at a second point adjacent the bottom but spaced from the first designated point, and in which article-impelling means are provided for moving such articles through the lehr in a step by step movement, synchronized with the operation of mechanisms for delivering articles to and for removing articles from the lehr so that articles are delivered to and removed from the lehr during intervals between movements of said impelling means and Without varying the period during which the articles traversing the lehr are retained within it.

Referring specifically to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings the illustrated lehr is a tower-like structure having an article-receiving portal 15 located at one side and adjacent the bottom thereof, through which articles to be annealed are delivered to the lehr. The lehr is also provided with an article-delivery port 16 located adjacent the bottom thereof but on the side of the lehr opposite to the portal 15, and through which annealed articles the lehr.

As shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, a conveyor 17 is provided for moving articles up to the portal 15 and the conveyor is associated with a mechanically actuated article-loading mechanism 18 for 'moving articles from the conveyor into the lehr. Likewise a conveyor 19 is so located and arranged that it receives articles leaving the lehr and conveys them to a point of inspection 'and packing. A mechanically actuated unloading mechanismZ() is shown located within the confines. of the lehr' structure and is adapted to move articles off of conveyor trays 21 of the lehr, through the port k16 and onto the Vconveyor 19. vFrom the foregoing it will be apparent that articles delivered to the lehr are received by a series are delivered from them into the air.

of conveyor trays 21 which move upwardly from the portal and then downwardly vto the delivery port 16.

In the apparatus illustrated each tray 21 is of rectangular form and is pivotally secured to, or swung from the conveyor chains and vis adapted to receive and ysupport a plurality of articles such, for example, as glass containers 22 as they are moved through the lehr passages. As shown in the fragmental views of Figures 8 and 9, each tray is provided with two supporting arms 21a, each of which is secured to one end of the tray and each pivotally secured to a conveyor chain 23. That is to say, each tray of the series is located between two conveyor chains 23 and one of its support arms 21a is pivotally secured to one of such chains, whereas the other arm is pivotally secured to the other chain. The chains 23 operate together and, with the series of trays 21 secured thereto, constitute a conveyor for receiving articles to be annealed, for moving the articles through the lehr and for moving them to the delivery port 16 or the point at which they are removed from the lehr.

The trays are equally spaced along the conveyor chains 23 and in the illustrated embodiment the spacing between the trays 21 is equal to the distance moved by the conveyor chains during each periodic move of its step by step movement` The chain-impelling means and the means for actuating the loading and unloading devices 18 and 2% will hereinafter be described in connection with the apparatus illustrated in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, l0, ll and l2.

Each of the chains 23 is associated with, and supported by four sprocket wheels 24. The wheels are so located and arranged that the trays 21 are caused to move upwardly from the portal 15 to a point near the top of the lehr, then across the lehr from the front to the rear of the lehr, then downwardly to a point adjacent the delivery port 16 and then across the lower portion of the lehr from the rear to the front thereof and to a point adjacent the portal 15. The sprocket wheels are located in pairs and, as disclosed in Figures 2 and 7, the wheels of each pair are mounted on a common shaft in spaced relationship with each other, and are of such diameter that the trays swing around their pivot points as the chains 23 complete their cycle of travel. During its movement through the lehr, each tray 21 is moved up to and then upwardly past the portal 15. On leaving the portal 1S it enters a heated passage 25 which extends upwardly through the lehr from a point adjacent the portal 15 to a point adjacent the upper end of the lehr. In the illustrated embodiment, the passage 25 is a relatively narrow passage which extends across the front of the lehr and is of sutlcient length and breadth to accommodate the free movement of air through it and around and past the trays located within it and the articles carried by the trays, independently of whether the movement of the air is a mechanically forced movement or one which results from the delivery of heat to the passage 25. As shown in Figures l and 3, heat may be delivered to the passage 25 throughout its entire length` As there illustrated, a combustion chamber 26 parallels the lower portion of the passage 25, is located immediately adjacent to that passage and between it and the front wall of the lehr. The combustion chamber is shown as provided with oil or gas burners 27 and as extending along approximately one-third of the length of the passage 25. It also extends across the front of the furnace and its width is equal to that of the passage 25.

The upper end of the combustion chamber 26 communicates with a chamber 28 which may be termed an exhaust chamber and which may include a plurality of ducts 29 which communicate at their lower ends with the combustion chamber 26 and at their upper ends with a stack 30. The stack is adapted to receive the combustion gases traversing such ducts and to discharge It will be apparent that the ducts 29 parallel the passage 25 and are, therefore, so located with sage 25 is formed of, or is lined with tire brick 25a, whereas the inner wall of the upper portion is preferably insulated by some insulating material 23a such as spun glass. Likewise the combustion chamber 26 is enclosed within ceramic material such as tire brick and the outer or front wall of the chamber 28 is an insulated wall.

In the drawings I have shown a partition 23a between the chamber 28 and the upper portion of the passage 25. This partition may be omitted or formed of material which will readily conduct heat unless conditions are such that it is desirable to avoid delivering heat from the chamber 2S to the passage 25 in which event the partition 28a will be formed of material which will resist the passage of heat. Control apparatus such, for example, as the damper 31 shown in Figure 2, may be located in thc stack 30 or each of the ducts 29 may be provided with a damper 31 as shown in both Figures l and 2 so as to variably control the dow of products of combustion through each such duct. In the drawings l have shown the ducts 29 as communicating with a manifold 29a which in turn communicates with the stack 3i).

As shown in Figure l the sprocket wheels 24 are so arranged and are of such diameter that the trays 21, after moving vertically upward through the passage 25, move horizontally across the upper portion of the lehr and then vertically downwardly to and then past the port 16. The arrangement is such that after each tray passes the port 16 it moves substantially horizontally across the lower portion of the lehr toward the portal 15 and then upwardly to and past the portal 15 and then upwardly through the passage 25.

The portion of the lehr through which the trays 21 move downwardly may be and preferably is walled ofi by a partition 41 which extends across the rear portion of the lehr and forms within the lehr a passage 42 corresponding to the passage 25 except that the intent is to gradually cool the articles moving through this passage toward the delivery port 16. The upper reach of the chain conveyor is also partitioned ott by a horizontal partition 43, thus completing a series of successive passages through which articles are moved while in the lehr.

In order to produce a controlled flow of air within the lehr passages, l employ a motor driven suction fan 32 with the inlet port thereof communicating with the eX- treme upper end of the lehr and, therefore, with the outlet end of the passage 25 and the inlet end of the passage 42. In the drawings I have also shown the outlet port of the fan communicating with a conduit 33 which is provided with branch passages 34, 35 and 36. Each of these passages is provided with a damper for the purpose of controlling the passage of air through it. As shown, the branch passage 34 is provided with a damper D and communicates with the upper portion of the lehr at a point along the path of travel of the trays in their horizontal movement across the upper portion of the lehr. The brauch passage 3S is provided with a damper D and communicates with the portion of the lehr adjacent the' upper portion of the path of travel of the trays as they move downwardly toward the opening 16, i. e., adjacent the upper end of the passage 42, As shown, the vertical wall of the lehr adjacent the chamber 42 is provided with a series of cooling vents or openings 37, each of which is provided with a hinged and adjustable damperlike cover 38. In the illustrated embodiment I have shown the branch passage 35 as communicating with thc interior of the passage 42 at a point above the vents 37 and I have also shown the branch passage 36 as communicating with that passage at a point below the vent openamasar' ings 37 and between the lowermost of those openings and the article delivery opening 16. The branch pipe 36 is provided with a control damper D2 for controlling the delivery of warm air through it. By delivering controlled amounts of air from the discharge conduit 33 of the fan 32, I am able to control the inflow of air through the lehr openings 37.

It should be understood that each of the openings 37 is of a width at least equal to the length of the trays 21, and that the delivery port of each branch passage 34, 35, and 36 is of a width equal to the width of the lehr passage with which it communicates. Under such conditions the distribution of both cooling air and modifying air delivered to the interior of the lehr is equally distributed with relation to the Separate articles carried by each individual tray 21. In order to further control the flow of air within the lehr I have provided dampers 39 and 40 which project into the upper portion of the lehr. Each may be separately adjusted so as to vary the extent to which they project into the lehr. These dampers are located on opposite sides of the inlet port of the fan 32 and each extends substantially across the interior of the lehr transversely of the direction of travel of the trays across the upper portion of the lehr. They may be so adjusted as to vary the rate of induced air ow upwardly through the passage 25 and into the upper end of the passage 42.

In Figure 3 I have illustrated a modified arrangement of the passage 25. As there shown, combustion chambers 26 are located on both the forward and the rear side of the passage and as a result, discharge ducts 29 for the products of combustion, are located on the forward and rear sides of the passage 25. I have also shown partitions 28a between each series of ducts and the passage 25. The primary function of these partitions 28a is to produce a well defined and limited space through which articles to be annealed move in their passage toward the upper portion of the lehr and also through which air ow is induced by the fan 32.

As previously noted, one of the features of my invention is that each tray is positioned for mechanical loading as it comes to rest opposite the portal 15 and then is positioned for mechanical unloading after it has traversed the passages of the lehr and as it comes to rest at the delivery port 16. I have, therefore, located the loading means 18 adjacent the portal 15 and unloading means 20 adjacent the port 16 and each operates in synchronism with the tray-impelling mechanisms. In order to motivate both the chains 23 and the loading and unloading means 18 and 20, I employ a double Geneva drive such as illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 12. As clearly illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 12, this drive includes two Geneva wheels 44 and 45 which are both mounted in cooperative relationship with a single rotor 46. As shown, the Wheels 44 and 45 are located on diametrically opposite sides of the rotor and the arrangement is such that one of the two wheels is locked against movement by the circumferential portion of the rotor, as one of the slots 47 of the other wheel is engaged by the roller 48 which constitutes an operating part of the rotor.

As shown in Figures and 7, the rotor 46 is driven by a motor 49 through the agency of a change speed gearing 50 and a belt or chain 51. As shown in Figure 7, the Geneva wheel 44 drives the power transmitting sprocket wheels 24 on which the chains 23 are carried. Both these wheels are rigidly mounted on a drive shaft 52 which is operatively connected to the Geneva Wheel 44. In the illustrated embodiment the wheel 44 is shown as mounted on the drive shaft 52, consequently, each movement of the Geneva wheel 44 actuates the sprocket wheels 24 to advance the chain conveyor one step in its intermittent movement through the lehr passages. The other Geneva wheel 45 operates both the loading and unloading mechanisms 13 and 26. It is shown as mounted on a shaft 53 which forms a part of a gear train for actuating the loading mechanism 18 through the agency of a beveled gear 62. The shaft 53 is also shown as having secured thereto a sprocket Wheel 55 which actuates the unloading device 20 by means of a chain 56 and a train of bevel gears 57. The arrangement is such that the unloading of a tray 21 located at the port 16, is accomplished during the operation of loading a tray 21 located at the portal 15.

`Both the loading and unloading mechanisms are more or less diagrammatically shown and there is no intent to limit the structural features of my invention to loading or unloading mechanisms such as shown. However, as illustrated, the loading mechanism consists essentially of a bar 58 carried by arms 59 to which it is pivotally secured. One of the arms 59 is shown as carried by a shaft 6@ on which a bevel gear 60a is mounted. The other arm 59 is mounted for rotation about a pin 61 carried by a convenient portion of the lehr.

The bevel gear 60a meshes with and is actuated by a bevel gear 62 carried by the shaft 53 and arrangement is such that each quarter turn of the Geneva wheel 45 will cause the bar 58 to revolve around centers of rotation of the arms 59 in moving from the position shown in Figure 4 throughout a circular path and back to that position. During such movement the bar 58 engages articles 22 located on a conveyor 63 and moves them oif of the conveyor and onto one of the trays 21. The conveyor may be of the ordinary form employed in connection with lehr-loading mechanisms, for example, a continuously moving conveyor.

In order to prevent swinging of the load-receiving tray 21 during the loading operation, each tray is engaged by a thrust plate 64 as it moves to position opposite the portal 15. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the plate 64 is a stationary plate which extends across the interior of the lehr, is located above the driving sprockets 24 and is so formed that it is readily engaged by an oncoming tray as the tray moves to position opposite the portal 15. The plate is also of such vertical width that it forms a stop which may be employed as a positioning stop for preventing the articles from toppling asthey are moved onto the tray.

As illustrated, the unloading device is similar in structure and in operation to the loading device. As shown in Figures 4, 7 and 1l, it consists esssentially of a loading bar 58a carried by and pivotally secured to actuating arms 59a. Each of the arms 59a are gear-operated by means of the sprocket 55, chain 56, shaft 65, bevel gears 66 and a short stub shaft 67 as shown in Figures 4 and 7.

The unloading device operates to move articles from a tray 21 located opposite to the port 16 and to move the same onto the continuously moving conveyor 19. As shown in both Figures 4 and 7, this movement of the annealed articles causes them to move across a dead plate 68 as they are forced toward the conveyor 19. The dead plate is so formed that it also functions as a thrust plate in preventing swinging of the tray engaged by it as articles are moved from that tray across it and onto the conveyor 19.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that articles to be annealed may be moved by any form of conveying mechanism to a position opposite the portal 15. Each time the conveyor mechanism within the lehr comes to rest during its intermittent motion, a tray 21 is positioned in article-receiving position opposite the portal 15 and in engagement with the thrust plate 64. Likewise a tray 21 carrying annealed articles comes to rest and is positioned opposite to the delivery port 16 of the lehr as the conveyor mechanism comes to rest.

Figure 5 of the drawings discloses the positions of the two Geneva wheels 44 and 45 with relation to the rotor, such that the conveyor-impelling Geneva 44 is just about to start to move through a quarter turn and the Geneva 45 is locked against rotation. The roller 48 of the rotor 46 is just entering one of the operating slots 47 of the wheel 44. With this position of the rotor, the Geneva 45 is locked in its inoperative position with the result that both the loading and the unloading mechanisms are held stationary. The chains 23 are just starting to move. In Figure 6 the rotor 46 and the Geneva 44 are in the positions which correspond to the maximum rate of chain movement. In this position the rotor continues to lock the Geneva 45 against movement. In Figure 12 the rotor is shown in the position in which its roller 48 engages one of the slots 47 of the Geneva 45, thus actuating that Geneva to motivate the loading and unloading devices while the chainactuating Geneva is locked against movement. In the position shown the bars 58 and 58a (Figures l() and 1l) are moving at their maximum rate and each has completed half its movement.

One of the important features of my invention is that each tray 21 carries a single row of articles to be processed. All such articles are preferably and normally located centrally between lateral edges of the tray and the row of articles extends lengthwise of the tray. This arrangement of articles and the shape of the lehr passages contributes to a condition such that each article is substantially unaffected throughout the annealing and cooling operation, by the position of adjacent articles. As to this it is noted that the heat-delivering wall or walls of the passage 25 extend lengthwise of the passage and each is of such width that it extends through the length of the trays located within that passage. Each such wall is located adjacent to one edge of each such tray and, as a result, the heat exchange involving each article is substantially unaffected by the location of adjacent articles on the tray. In addition, each article on each tray is washed by the induced ilow of air moving along the passage 25. This contributes to uniformity of heat distribution with relation to the articles on the trays within the passage 25 and minimizes such detrimental effect on each such article as might be occasioned by the close proximity of one or two other articles.

As the trays swing to positions below their supporting chains 23 and move through the uppermost portion of the lehr, each article carried by each tray is similarly disposed with relation to the surrounding air ilow and, consequently, all the articles are equally effected by the conditions encountered in the uppermost portion of the lehr. This is also true of the articles as they move downwardly through the passage 42. As a result, all the articles are evenly heated and then evenly cooled as they traverse the passages of the lehr.

While I have, in effect, lshown but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be made in both the procedure and the apparatus disclosed and described withas set forth by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A vertical lehr having an article-receiving portal in one wall thereof adjacent the bottom of said lehr and an article-delivery port in an opposite wall of the lehrV adjacent the bottom thereof; a vertically extending heating passage communicating with said portal and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr; a vertically extending cooling passage communicating with said port and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr; a communicating passage extending across the upper portion oi said lehr and communicating with each of said vertically extending passages; and endless conveyor for conveying articles to be annealedupwardly through said heating passage, through said cornmunicating passage and downwardly through said cooling passage; means Vfor delivering heat to said heating passage throughout substantially its entire length; means for causing a tlow of air upwardly through said heating passage and into said communicating passage; adjustable means for opening the cooling passage to the external atmosphere at points along the lengthrtthere-of; and means for delivering regulable amounts of airissuing from said 50 out departmg from the spirit and scope of the invention heating passage to said cooling passage at selected pointsalong the length thereof.

2. A vertical lehr having an Varticle-receiving portal in one wall thereof adjacent the bottom of the lehr and an article-delivery port in an opposite wall thereof adjacent the bottom of the lehr; a vertically extending heating passage communicating with said portal and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr; a

vertically extending cooling passage communicating with said port and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr; a communicating passage extending across the upper portion of said lehr and communicating with both said vertically extending passages; and endless conveyor for moving articles to be annealed upwardly through said heating passage through said communicatmeans for delivering cooling air to said cooling passage;

and means for delivering regulable amounts of air issuing from said heating passage to said cooling passage at selected points along the length thereof.

3. A vertical lehr having an article-receiving portal in one wall thereof adjacent the bottom of the lehr and an article-delivery port in another wall of the lehr adjacent the bottom thereof; a vertically extending heating passage communicating with said portal and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr; a ver- 'tically extending cooling passage communicating with ing passage in heat communicating relationship there-- with; means for creating a flow of air through said portal into said heating passage; means for delivering cooling .air to said cooling passage; means for delivering regulable amounts of heated air from said heating passage into said cooling passage at points along the length thereof; and means for moving said conveyor upwardly through said heating passage and downwardly through said cooling passage.

4. A vertical lehr having an article-receiving portal in one wall thereof adjacent the bottom of the lehr and an article-delivery port in another wall thereof adjacent the bottom of the lehr; a vertically extending article-receiving passage communicating with said portal and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr; a vertically extending article-delivery passage communicating with said port and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the lehr and communicating with said articlereceiving passage at a point adjacent the top of the lehr; means for delivering heat to said article-receiving passage; regulable means for placing said delivery passage in communication with the external atmosphere at points along the length thereof; an endless conveyor for moving I articles upwardly from said portal through said articlereceiving passage and downwardly through said delivery passage to said port; means for delivering articles to be annealed through said portal and onto said conveyor; separate meansfor removing articles from said conveyor and delivering them through said port and a double Geneva for imparting a step by step movement to said conveyor and for actuating both of said article-delivery means so that articles are simultaneously delivered through said portal and through said port during periods of rest of said conveyor.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,070,509 Miller Aug. 19, 1913 10 Good Sept. 22, 1925 Cope Dec. 3, 1929 Shipley et al Nov. 25, 1930 Blount et al. July 25, 1933 Mayer Sept. 30, 1941 Miles Oct. 15, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1862 

